Trump Pulls Out Of The Paris Climate Agreement

On the heels of reports that President Trump would withdraw from the Paris climate accord, numerous outlets reported having seen the White House documents confirming Trump's decision. The official announcement that the U.S. would no longer be a part of the 2015 pact will come on Thursday at 3 p.m. EST. The non-binding accord, which brought together nearly 200 countries, outlines a plan for the reduction of emissions that scientists say are harmful to the environment.

According to a report in Axios, which broke the news of Trump's reported climate change pact decision, Trump was influenced by a letter from 22 leading Republican senators, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The GOP members' note to Trump said that if the president wished to go through with his desire to scrap the Clean Power Plan, "those advocating for greenhouse gas regulations will use the Paris Agreement as a legal defense against your actions to rescind the Clean Power Plan."

Prior to Trump's final decision, his administration had been divided about whether or not to remain in the Paris pact. Supporters of staying in the accord were Trump's daughter Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, among many others. Now that it's been announced Trump will pull out of it, the aftermath could be catastrophic.